"The State of Israel bows its head on the passing of
former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Ariel Sharon played a central
role in the struggle for the security of the State of Israel
over all its years. He was, first and foremost, a courageous
fighter and an outstanding general, and was among the IDF's greatest
commanders.

From his youth, he served the people of Israel on the battlefield.
Continued: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62698

-----

SHIN BETH: SHARON WAS ABOUT TO GIVE THE WEST BANK

STROOK: "SHARON DESTROYER OF ISRAEL"

"Sharon was among the greatest constructors of the Land
of Israel, and its greatest destroyer" - Member of the Knesset
Orit Strook
Shin Beth: Sharon was about to give the West Bank; Strook: "Sharon
Destroyer of Israel"

Lucky Sharon. He didn't live to see his own funeral. Following
yesterday's studied insults,& the funeral took place today.
It was plagued with oddities and smartly disguised attacks on
the former prime minister.

British Tony Blair declared love to Sharon. He had a black
kippah skullcap on his head, in the style favored by Ultra-Orthodox
Jews. He was shown speaking with Gilad and Omri, Sharon's surviving
sons. They used no skullcaps; thus creating the odd image of
non-practicing Jews talking with a kippah-wearing Gentile.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews do not consider Sharon a Jew. Sharon
and his family were fanatic humanists; he used skullcaps only
when forced during official events. His sons were unlikely to
appreciate Blair's gesture.

Member of the Knesset Orit Strook robbed the show, despite
not being significant enough to be allowed a speech during the
funeral. She is part of the most extremist settlers.

Before the peace agreement with Egypt, she lived in Yamit;
after the Sinai was returned, she moved to Hebron, in the West
Bank. On Christmas eve, she was featured in Knesset: Netanyahu
Responsible for Temple Mount Destruction. Her extremism is
tangible. She referred to the Dome of the Rock, al-Aqsa, and
the other Muslim sites still active on the Temple Mount as "archeological
sites." This is an eerie reminder that Israel plans a Third
Temple.

While Sharon's body was still warm, she said "Sharon
was among the greatest constructors of the Land of Israel, and
its greatest destroyer. He, who knew how to defeat terror, transformed
the land's south into a terror-stricken zone. His immense decisiveness
and his capability to decide and act allowed great achievements
but also calamities.

"Next to the recognition and thank you for his contribution
to the State of Israel, it is impossible not to thank also God,
blessed be his name, for having taken Sharon out of our public
life before he managed to strike the West Bank settlers with
the same calamity he imposed to those who lived in Gaza."
http://www.roitov.com/articles/sharonmahriv.htm

-----

GOY SHARON KILLED TWICE
Sharon is a Goy - Much of this article would make no sense unless
understanding how Ultra-Orthodox Jews define Judaism. None of
them recognizes former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as
a Jew. This explains a lot the controversy he still causes in
Israel in what probably are the last days of his life. "Grave
Doubts Regarding the Jewishness of the Prime Minister Sharon"
Passover 2005 Headline of Ultra-Orthodox News' Good Hour
Paul and the Jewish Law: Halakha in the Letters of the Apostle
to the Gentiles (Compendia Rerum Iudaicarum Ad Novum Testamentum)

The State of Israel uses the Law of Return in order to define
Jews. It adopted a unsatisfactory definition* compared to the
one used by Ultra-Orthodox Jews. The latter recognize as Jew
only someone born to a Jewish mother or that converted according
to the Halakha, the Jewish religious law.+

Ariel Sharon's parents were Shmuel Scheinerman (18961956)
of Brest-Litovsk and Vera Scheinerman (19001988) from Mogilev,
both locations are nowadays in Belarus; yet, they met in Georgia
after they fled WWI.

His father was Jewish. One of the reasons for the maiden
surname of his mother not being in the public domain is that
she was not Jewish, she was a Subbotnik. Most followers of this
Russian Christian sect practice circumcision, do not recognize
the New Testament, and observe Sabbath on Saturday. Their name
is derived from the Russian name for Saturday. Continued: http://www.roitov.com/articles/sharon.htm

-----

ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTRY COMPUTERS HIT BY HACKERS

Published: 01/29/14 by: Bryon Turcotte - Official reports
from Israeli security experts at Seculert stated that hackers
have successfully compromised a defense ministry computer, according
to an article published on the Jewish Voice website. The article
indicates that attackers broke into an via an email attachment
tainted with malicious software. The article indicates
that Securlet had not determined what the hackers did after
the initial infection.

According to the article, hackers earlier this month
temporarily took over 15 computers, one of them belonging to
the Civil Administration for Judea and Samaria as confirmed
by Aviv Raff, the Chief Technology Officer at Seculert. Raff
was reported in the article to have told Reuters that Palestinian
Arabs were suspected to be behind the cyber attack, citing similarities
to a cyber assault on Israeli computers waged more than a year
ago from a server in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

In the article, Raff was quoted to say, All we know
is at least one computer at the Civil Administration was in control
of the attackers; what they did we dont know. The
report indicates that this attack originated from a server
in the United States but that officials questioned declined
comments on the event by saying We are not commenting on
it, we dont respond to such reports. The article
continued to confirm that several hacking attacks targeting
Israelis have occurred over the past year or so.

Read more about this attack and how the Israeli government
is dealing with the aftermath in the full article at the Jewish
Voice website. Continued: http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6495

VP BIDEN "IMMENSE" JEWISH ROLE IN AMERICAN MASS
MEDIA AND CULTURAL LIFE

July 2013  In a remarkable but under-reported address,
Vice President Joe Biden recently acknowledged that the "immense"
and "outsized" Jewish role in the US mass media and
cultural life has been the single most important factor in shaping
American attitudes over the past century, and in driving major
cultural-political changes.

"Jewish heritage has shaped who we areall of usas
much or more than any other factor in the last 223 years. And
that's a fact" . . . it's fair to say that Jewish heritage
is American heritage," he added. . . I bet you 85 percent
of those [social-political] changes, whether it's in Hollywood
or social media are a consequence of Jewish leaders in the industry.
The influence is immense, the influence is immense. . ."

"America's pluralistic society is at the heart of Jewish
security," says Abraham Foxman, national director of the
Anti-Defamation League . . . "which has enabled us to be
such important allies for the State of Israel . . ."

American motion pictures and television, in collaboration
with influential Jewish-Zionist organizations, have for many
years sought to persuade Americansespecially younger Americansto
welcome and embrace ever more social, cultural and racial "diversity,"
and to regard themselves simply as individuals. While striving
to belittle and break down racial, religious, ethnic and cultural
identity and cohesion among non-Jewish Americans, the US media
promotes a tribalistic nationalism (Zionism) for Jews, and defends
Israel as a proudly Jewish ethnic-religious state.

Without an understanding of the Jewish role in the American
mass media and US cultural life, major social-political trends
over the past century are all but incomprehensible. Vice President
Biden's frank acknowledgement of this "immense" clout
is a welcome contribution to a greater awareness of this important
reality of American life. Full story: http://ihr.org/other/biden_jewish_role

-----

PALESTINIANS MAKE STIFF DEMANDS FOR PEACE DEAL

PA reportedly allowing only for limited land swaps and insisting
that all refugees be given leave to settle in Israel if they
wish

By Ilan Ben Zion October 27, 2013, 9:57 pm - Prresident Barack
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with Palestinian Chief
Negotiator Saeb Erekat and Mohammed Shtayyeh (right) and Israeli
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Yitzhak Molho (left) at the
formal resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations,
in the Oval Office, July 30, 2013. (photo credit: Official White
House Photo, Chuck Kennedy)Writers Ilan Ben Zion
Ilan Ben Zion is a news editor at The Times of Israel. He holds
a Masters degree in Diplomacy from [More] Tel Aviv University
and an Honors Bachelors degree from the University of Toronto
in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, Jewish Studies, and
English. [Less] Follow or contact:TwitterRSS NewsroomEmail the
Newsroom Facebook Twitter Related TopicsIsraeli-Palestinian peace
talksPalestinian AuthorityPalestinian right of return More on
this storyBereaved families gather to protest prisoner release
Netanyahu: Prisoner release one of toughest decisions
as PM A prisoner release beset by extremists on both sides Israel
names 26 Palestinian prisoners to be freed in 48 hours Abbas
said to soften stance on interim peace agreement Israel OKs release
of 26 Palestinian prisoners Ministers reject bid to block Palestinian
prisoner releases Politicians jostle as prisoner release pends
The Palestinian Authority demands that any land swap with Israel
as part of a peace deal not exceed 1.9 percent of the West Bank,
less than half of the land necessary to incorporate the lions
share of settlers, according to details leaked to Channel 2 by
a disgruntled Palestinian official on Sunday.

According to the report, the Palestinians are also insisting
that they gain control over water, and control at their sides
of the Dead Sea and border crossings; that a Palestinian state
be able to sign agreements with other states without Israeli
intervention; that Israel release all Palestinian prisoners it
holds; and that all Palestinian refugees and their descendants
be granted the right to choose to live in Israel or the Palestinian
territories as part of a final agreement.

The report made no mention of Israels position on these
issues, but the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
has been wary of a Palestinian state exercising full sovereign
powers that might threaten Israeli security, and all Israeli
governments have rejected the possibility of anything other than
a token influx of Palestinian refugees, for fear of remaking
the demographic balance of the Jewish state. Continued:

Report: JERUSALEM Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:46am EST Israel's Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) delivers a speech during a session
marking the 65th anniversary of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament,
in Jerusalem January 14, 2014, at the beginning of the second
winter session of the Knesset.

Reuters) - Israel's prime minister has increased the amount
of occupied territory he wants to keep after any peace deal with
the Palestinians, Israeli radio reported on Thursday, a move
that could complicate U.S.-backed efforts to reach an accord.

Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman declined to comment on the
report that he had added a bloc of Israeli-settled land near
the Palestinian governmental seat in the occupied West Bank to
a list of enclaves Israel intends to retain.

That would leave 13 percent of the West Bank in Israeli hands,
Israel's Army Radio said, a prospect likely to dismay Palestinians
who want the area for a future state.

There was no immediate comment from Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas. But a Palestinian official, who asked not to be
identified, rejected the notion of Israel keeping large clusters
of settlements.

"We are saying that once we agree on the withdrawal
to 1967 borders, we can accept minor exchanges of land on a case-by-case
basis," the official said, referring to lines - described
by Israel as indefensible - predating the war in which it captured
the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/16/us-palestinians-israel-idUSBREA0F11T20140116

-----
NATIONAL PARK: DECLARED WHERE DAVID FOUGHT GOLIATH

Archaeologists claim a building unearthed at Khirbet Qeiyafa
was King David's 'Suburban Palace.'
By Gil Ronen - First Publish: 1/30/2014, 4:06 PM

An aerial view of the Khirbet Qeiyafa dig
Skyview/Archaeological Authority
A national park will be declared at Khirbet Qeiyafa and the Ela
Valley, southwest of Jerusalem, and a residential neighborhood
that had been planned next to the location will not be built.
The area is believed to be the spot where the young David fought
Goliath, according to the Bible.
The decision was made by the Jerusalem District Committee for
Planning and Construction. The national park will stretch from
Beit Natif in the east to Khirbet Qeiyafa in the west, and the
construction of the southern neighborhood of Ramat Beit Shemesh
will be scrapped.
The decision is being hailed as a major accomplishment for the
preservation of nature in Israel, and as the product of successful
cooperation between the Israel Antiquities Authority and the
Nature and Parks Authority.
Khirbet Qeiyafa, an ancient ruin atop a hill that borders the
Ela Valley from the north, is thought to be the Biblical city
of Sha'arayim. The city is heavily fortified, and is typical
of other Judean cities that were established during the period
of the Kings, before the destruction of the First Temple. It
has been excavated since 2007 by archeologists Prof. Yosef Garfinkel
from Hebrew University, and Saar Ganor of the Antiquities Authority.
The site features three unique public buildings, the first of
their kind ever found in the Judean area. The buildings date
to the tenth century before the Common Era  the period
in which King David reigned in Jerusalem.
Garfinkel and Ganor have claimed that one of the buildings is
indeed a palace used by King David himself.
The Head of the Preservation Administration within the Antiquities
Authority, Raanan Kislev, issued a statement hailing what he
called a dramatic and unprecedented decision,
that establishes a policy of planning that sees preservation
of heritage a value equal in importance to the urgent need for
housing units and development.
Yuval Peled, who heads the Development Section in the Nature
and Parks Authority, also congratulated the District Committee
for its decision, which will enable future generations
to feel the past in the scenery of the present, and to understand
the setting of the historical story of the battle of David and
Goliath, a battle that has historical significance for the nation
in Zion and the entire world. Continued:http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/

176902#.UvNzU1ZHTJj

-----

NETANYAHU DEMANDS MORE PALESTINIAN LAND IN PEACE TALKS

He adds another Settlement Bloc to 'Must Have' Territory
by Jason Ditz, January 16, 2014 - The West Bank as the Palestinians
see it keeps getting smaller and smaller.

The latest out of the peace talks between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
has added an entire new bloc of settlements to the list of territories
he intends to keep in any peace deal.

The newest bloc is on the outskirts of Ramallah, the major
Palestinian city that is the de facto capital of the Palestinian
Authority. Netanyahu reportedly also told the Palestinians that
he will not be offering 1:1 land swaps for the settlement and
the surrounding area.

Netanyahu reportedly insists that the biblical book of Genesis
is his justification for keeping the settlement bloc around Beit
El, which makes it even less clear why he is all of a sudden
issuing new demands.

With the new settlement blocs added, Israel now intends to
annex a minimum of 13% of the West Bank, and is only considering
giving the Palestinians a fraction of that amount in Israeli
territory in exchange. The Palestinians have reportedly rejected
the demand, but that doesnt seem to have changed the Israeli
perspective that Beit El is now part of the deal.
Continued: http://news.antiwar.com/2014/01/16/netanyahu-demands-more-palestinian-land-in-peace-talks/

-----

NETANYAHU DEMANDS ISRAEL RETAIN FOURTH SETTLEMENT BLOC IN
PEACE DEAL

PM suggests buying some of the land from Palestinians.
By Barak Ravid - Jan. 16, 2014 - Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that Israel retain a fourth settlement
bloc in addition to three it has already demanded in negotiations
with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been working
to hammer out a framework peace agreement between Israel and
the Palestinians.

The settlement bloc in question is in the vicinity of Beit
El, adjacent to Ramallah in the central West Bank. Israel has
already laid claim to three other settlement blocs  Ariel,
Gush Etzion and Ma'aleh Adumim. Settlement blocs refer to areas
in the West Bank where the majority of Jewish communities are
located. Palestinians fiercely oppose the latest Israeli request,
according to an Israeli source who has been briefed by the Americans.

Netanyahu wants to annex the four blocs but, according to
the Israeli source, at this stage opposes compensating the Palestinians
with a land swap of equal size and quality. The prime minister
did, however, raise the possibility of buying some of the land
on which the settlement blocs rest from the Palestinians and
compensating them for other parts with land that is in Israel
proper. Continued: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.568919

-----

U.S.-SAUDI RELATIONS ON THE VERGE OF A CRISIS?

INSS Insight No. 504, January 1, 2014 - Zaki Shalom, Yoel
Guzansky http://www.inss.org.il/index.aspx?id=4538&articleid=6344
SUMMARY: On December 17, 2013, Mohammed bin Nawaf, the Saudi
ambassador to Great Britain, published an exceptionally harsh
op-ed in the New York Times about the policy of the Obama administration
toward Iran and Syria. Until recently, signs of Saudi dissatisfaction
with the administrationâs Middle East policy
came primarily from reports and news analyses. Of late, however,
the Saudi government has become much less cautious about its
public criticism of the United States. And while Riyadh has no
good options as to a substitute ally in place of the United States,
it is possible that in the wake of the erosion of Saudi confidence
in the US, the kingdom will seek to diffuse risks and form a
parallel web of relations with various countries to improve its
security situation.

On December 17, 2013, Mohammed bin Nawaf, the Saudi ambassador
to Great Britain, published an exceptionally harsh op-ed in the
New York Times about the policy of the Obama administration toward
Iran and Syria. Until recently, signs of Saudi dissatisfaction
with the administrationâs Middle East policy
came primarily from reports and news analyses. Of late, however,
the Saudi government has become much less cautious about its
public criticism of the United States. Continued: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62698

-----

"PUTIN VOWS TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF "TERRORISTS'"

SAUDI GAZETTE 1 Jan.14: Agence France Presse -

MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday
31 Dec.2013 threatened terrorists with total destruction
after twin suicide strikes claimed 34 lives and raised alarm
over security at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games. A bombing at
the main railway station of the southern city of Volgograd killed
18 people on Sunday while a second strike that hit a trolleybus
on Monday[30 Dec.] claimed 16 lives.

The latest violence has laid bare the unchecked threat posed
by insurgents, who have vowed to target civilians in a bid to
undermine Putins preparations ahead of the Games
opening ceremony on February 7. 2014.

Dear friends, we bow our heads in front of the victims
of the terrible acts of terror. I am sure we will toughly and
consistently continue to fight against terrorists until their
total destruction, Putin said in his first public comments
on the attacks. Putin made the statement in a traditional midnight
New Years address he recorded during an unannounced visit
to Russias Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk that is seven
hours ahead of Moscow. Continued:

http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62698

-----

ABBAS: FINAL STATUS AGREEMENT GUARANTEES OUR RIGHTS

http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=23945

RAMALLAH, January 1, 2014 (WAFA)  Marking the 49th
anniversary of the Palestinian Revolution, President Mahmoud
Abbas stressed his commitment towards restoring the Palestinian
rights and the termination of settlement building by diplomatic
means.

In his speech, which was broadcasted on the state TV, Abbas
asserted that the negotiations with Israel are part of our peoples
struggle aimed at reaching a final peace agreement. He also confirmed
his objection to an interim or transitional state solution that
could prolong the Israeli occupation.

We negotiate with Israel to reach a solution that leads
to a Palestinian state within the 1967 occupied territory, with
Jerusalem as a capital. We negotiate to reach a fair solution
to the refugees issue based on the UN Resolution 194 as
stated in the Arab Peace Initiative, said Abbas.

Abbas greeted the steadfastness of the Palestinian
refugees in Syria, Lebanon and the Diaspora.

He also highlighted the need to deploy international forces
in the Palestinian Territory after signing a peace pact in order
to reinforce security and to protect Palestinians from any Israeli
assaults. Continued: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62698

-----

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: REFERENDUM BETTER THAN ELECTIONS

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 2 January 2014 - Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu assured us once again that in the event that an agreement
is reached with the Palestinians that it would be subject to
approval in a national referendum.

Take note: there are no plans to condition Israel's acceptance
of a declaration of principles, roadmap or other outline of the
contours of an agreement on approval in a national referendum.

Some in the national camp have expressed concern that Prime
Minister Netanyahu may yield to pressure to make concessions
in the course of the negotiations in the expectation that ultimately
the Israeli voters will reject the deal because of those concession
with the idea that he enjoys a win-win situation: he gets credit
for caving into the demands of the White House while the Israeli
street saves the day. A more cynical narrative would have it
that PM Netanyahu ultimately blames the Israeli voters for accepting
the deal. Continued: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62698

-----

KERRY IN RAMALLAH: SOME ISSUES RESOLVED, WEEK TO MAKE PROGRESS

Remarks With Lead Negotiator for the Palestinian Authority
Saeb Erekat After Meeting With Palestinian Authority President
Abbas - January 4, 2014 http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2014/01/219294.htm

Mr. EREKAT: I think this is the 21st meeting between President
Abbas and Secretary Kerry. It was a sleepless night last night
and today also. Secretary Kerry has exerted every possible effort
in order to achieve a two-state solution, a state of Palestine
to live side by side with the state of Israel in peace and security
in the 1967 lines.

What Secretary Kerry is doing  and let me repeat it
in front of him  is not an interim agreement. Its
not a transitional period thats beyond us. Were working
hard to achieve an agreement on all core issues. No one benefits
more from the success of Secretary Kerrys efforts than
Palestinians, and no one stands to lose more of failure than
Palestinians. Failure to us is not an option. We really are doing
everything humanly possible to ensure the success of Secretary
Kerry. We really hope that the Israeli side would refrain from
any acts that may prejudice or preempt the outcome of permanent
status negotiations, i.e., settlement activity and home demolitions.

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat - As the Egyptian government continues
to crack down on the ousted Muslim Brotherhood, the Ministry
of Awqaf (religious endowments) took control of several mosques
controlled by the Islamist group on Friday. The takeover comes
three days after the government ordered the seizure of the assets
of hundreds of Brotherhood members on suspicion of funding
terrorism. Continued: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62698

-----

HAMAS RENEWS REJECTION TO ANY CONCESSIONS DURING NEGOTIATIONS

Hamas renews rejection to any concessions during negotiations
08-01-2014,10:35 http://www.qassam.ps/news-7904-Hamas_renews_rejection_to_any_concessions_during_negotiations.html

Al Qassam website- Gaza- Hamas Movement has warned the Israeli
occupation authority (IOA) of continuing its violations and crimes
against Palestinian people, lands, and holy sites under the cover
of the ongoing absurd negotiations, US bias, and international
complicity.

Commenting on the re-arrest of 7 liberated prisoners and
Israel's endorsement of 272 new housing units in West Bank and
Jerusalem, a responsible source in Hamas warned in a statement
on Tuesday of the serious implications of the continuing negotiations,
considering it a cover to the Israeli Judaization and settlement
schemes.

The IOA works for liquidating the Palestinian cause through
imposing fait accompli under the umbrella of negotiations, he
said, renewing his movement's rejection to any agreement at the
expense of Palestinian rights and constants. Continued: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62698

-----

ANNUAL TOURISM REPORT, ALL TIME RECORD FOR ISRAEL

DECEMBER 2013 ALL TIME MONTHLY AND ANNUAL RECORD FOR TOURIST
ENTRIES TO ISRAEL: 24% INCREASE ON DECEMBER 2012 3% ANNUAL INCREASE

Al Qassam website- Gaza- Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
denounced U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's plan submitted
during the current round of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations,
saying that it aims to liquidate Palestinian rights particularly
Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees' right of return.

In a rally organized in protest against Kerry's plan, Mohammed
al-Hindi, a member of Jihad Movement's political bureau, confirmed
that Kerry's plan "came to liquidate the Palestinian rights
and constants."

He stressed that there are many available alternatives to
negotiations which need a real political will, calling on the
Palestinian people to stand firmly against Kerry's plan. Continued:
http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62698

-----

U.S. GIVES PALESTINIANS $300 MILLION IN CONTRACTS
Allegations of corruption, praise for terrorists not obstacles
Steve Peacosk - Published: 08/18/2013 at 8:04 PM The U.S. government
recently awarded a batch of contracts worth up to $300 million
to Palestinian construction companies, including a firm targeted
in a Palestinian Authority corruption probe. PA Prosecutor-General
Ahmed al-Mughni, likewise, survived the investigation, having
escaped a car-bomb assassination attempt related to his probe
of Tarifi Contracting & Reconstruction Co., other companies
and PA officials, the Jerusalem Post reported at the time. The
chairman of Tarifi Contracting is H. E. Jamil Al Tarifi, the
former PA civil affairs minister. At the time of the investigation,
he reportedly co-owned the firm with his brother, Jamal, who
currently is not listed on the company roster. Neither man was
implicated in the assassination attempt.

The Tarifi organization had come under fire for indirectly
selling tens of thousands of tons of cement that the Israelis
ultimately used in building the West Bank separation wall and
settlements there and in Gaza. PA officials also were investigated
for failing to collect taxes on the sale and import of the cement,
which came from Egypt.

Now the Obama administration, through the U.S. Agency for
International Development, has awarded indefinite quantity contracts,
or IQCs, to the Tarifi Company and five other Palestinian firms,
according to procurement documents WND located via routine database
research.

Noticeably absent, however, from the contract award, No.
AID-294-I-13-00004, is a company name.

Filling the space adjacent to Contractor Awarded Name
 a line item contained in all awards listed in the FedBizOpps
database  was a duplicated award number. Despite the omission,
the document included a contractor-registration DUNS number,
which WND tracked to the Tarifi Company. Continued:

RAMALLAH, January 11, 2014 (WAFA - PLO news
agency)  President Mahmoud Abbas stressed Saturday that
there will be no peace agreement with Israel without an agreement
over Jerusalem. Without Jerusalem there will be no peace
between us, Abbas told crowds from Jerusalem at his headquarters.
Without Jerusalem written clearly and in bold, there will
not be peace with them, he added. Abbas said he heard Israelis
say that Jerusalem will not be on the agenda of a final peace
agreement. Continued: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62698

RAMALLAH, January 11, 2014 (WAFA - PLO news agency)
 Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Saturday
that there will be no agreement with Israel without East Jerusalem
as the eternal capital of the State of Palestine. Abu Rudeineh
was responding to statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu in which he said that he will not negotiate over Jerusalem.
Continued: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=62698

-----

KERRY SAYS ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS AT 'CRITICALPOINT
''

By JPOST.COM STAFF POINT

01/13/2014 06:20 US secretary of state updates Arab
leaders in region on latest developments in talks. US Secretary
of State John Kerry told Arab League foreign ministers late Sunday
that Washington was determined to bring Israel and the Palestinians
together in an effort to end the decades-long conflict. "As
I made clear in my discussions with the Arab foreign ministers
today, we really are at a critical point, as Palestinians and
Israeli leaders grapple with difficult and challenging decisions
that lie ahead," Kerry said.

"Through the course of the last five months, President
Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu have both demonstrated courageous
and determined leadership," the secretary said. "Theyve
made tough choices, and they are contemplating even tougher choices
in the weeks ahead."

"The Arab foreign ministers made clear to me that they
support Israeli and Palestinian leaders efforts to take
the next bold, courageous steps of agreeing to a framework for
permanent status negotiations." http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics

-----

NETANYAHU: PALESTINIAN DENIAL OF JEWS' RIGHT TO STATEHOOD
IS CORE OF CONFLICT

By HERB KEINON - 11/03/2013 13:30 PA says Balfour Declaration
"a crime against humanity"; calls on Britain to apologize
for it. A day after the Palestinian Authority called the Balfour
Declaration "a crime against humanity" and called upon
Britain to apologize for it, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
said the Palestinian

refusal to recognize the Jewish people's right to a homeland
is the root of the ongoing conflict.

The Balfour declaration, a letter written 96 years ago on
November 2 by British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour
to Baron Rothschild, called for the establishment in Palestine
of a national home for the Jewish people.

"That declaration recognized the right of the Jewish
people to its own homeland in Israel," Netanyahu said Sunday
at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. "There is no
doubt that international recognition of the Jewish people's right
to its own state in its historic homeland is important; the refusal
to recognize us is the root of the conflict."http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Netanyahu-says-core-of-conflict-is-refusal-of-Palestinians-to-recognize-J

ews-right-to-statehood-330479

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ISRAEL WOULD ALLOW 90 PERCENT OF WEST BANK TO GO TO PALESTINE

Discussion Coming Down to 'Percentage Points'
By Jason Ditz, February 06, 2014 - Details of the closed-door
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority suggest
the two sides are much closer together than previously indicated,
with the two sides just percentage points away on
land swaps.

Israel is looking to annex 10 percent of the West Bank in
the deal, while the PA is said to be favoring a deal that caps
the annexations at 3 percent, with land exchanges.

3 percent or 10 percent isnt as big a difference as
it sounds, as either would encompass the vast majority of Israels
settlements. Some of the settlement blocs south of Jerusalem
are apparently agreed to by both sides, while some others are
still in dispute.

The suggestion of an independent Palestine including 90 percent
of the West Bank is hugely promising, with discussion of them
also getting some land in the Negev, bordering the Gaza Strip,
as part of the settlement of the refugee issue.

On the other hand, Israel has coalition partners threatening
to withdraw and collapse the coalition if they get close to such
a deal. The discussion of percentages in the West Bank also didnt
include the question of East Jerusalem, which Palestinians envision
as their future capital and which Israel has already annexed
outright. Continued: